PHIL 103 - Foundations of Philosophy

Credits: (3)
This course is an Introduction to philosophy with readings from the ancient and medieval periods. With PHIL 203 Philosophy in the Modern Age (3), it forms the required philosophy sequence in the Philosophy Core Program. The course aims to initiate students into the study and practice of philosophy by reading four enduring thinkers, each of whom stands as a major shaper of the Western and Catholic intellectual traditions: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine or Boethius, and Aquinas. By examining these thinkers through some of their great philosophical works, this course will explore fundamental questions in philosophy, such as: 1) Is truth relative? 2) Is morality merely a matter of opinion? 3) Is the structure of the cosmos intelligible to the human mind? 4) Is a certain way of life best for the human being? 5) Is religious faith rational? 6) Can God’s existence be proven? 7) Is there one true source of human happiness? (2013; revised 2020) Spring Only